Portland Mayor Sam Adams is, among many other duties, the head of the Portland Police Bureau. After officers apprehended a man who had allegedly robbed a convenience store last Monday involving a replica weapon, Adams floated the idea of a ban on such weapons on Facebook — pointing to a similar ordinance in Beaverton. He defended his idea on Twitter:

We just shot someone with replica/toy gun: this is important issue to raise. RT @pdxschroeder ….spend time on more important issues…

As for Adam’s informal Facebook poll, as of this writing, the “no” responses were leading the “yes” and “I don’t know” responses. We’ll ask how a Beaverton ordinance (pdf) prohibiting the public display of such weapons has been working since it was passed in 2007. And we’ll find out how an Airsoft gun enthusiast uses the replica weapons and what he thinks about the idea of a Beaverton-style proposal.

What do you think of the idea of banning replica guns from public spaces? Do you use replica guns for sport? Would a Beaverton-style ordinance affect you?